1. Technical Field
This document relates to gastric and intestinal feeding tube devices and methods for their use. For example, this document relates to gastric and intestinal feeding tube devices that include an external bumper that is adapted to facilitate the application of a desired level of pressure from the external bumper onto the skin surface.
2. Background Information
Percutaneous endoscopic gastrostomy (PEG)/percutaneous endoscopic jejunostomy (PEJ) tubes have experienced a substantial rise in utilization since the first tube was placed in 1979. PEG/PEJ tubes deliver nutritional content directly to the stomach/intestine through a tube when a patient is unable to intake food orally. While use has greatly increased, the underlying technology has remained essentially unchanged over several decades.
The high level of PEG/PEJ use creates an overwhelming population of users who experience complications due to use, many of which negatively impact the patient's quality of life. Approximately 20-30% of patients on feeding tubes experience skin breakdown, inflammation, infection, and/or discharge by the time a tube is regularly replaced after about 6-8 months of usage. These problems can be attributed to the long-term placement of the external bumper. Other complications, including hemorrhage (about 2.5%) and Buried Bumper Syndrome (about 0.3-2.4%) have also been shown to be correlated with the pressure applied at the site of tube insertion in the abdomen. With approximately 200,000 feeding tubes placed in the United States each year, an externally located, PEG/PEJ feedback system is needed in order to prevent placement-related complications before they arise.